New Federal Courthouse: Steel went up this summer on Mobile’s new federal courthouse, and quickly made the point that this thing is going to be big. It’s on St. Joseph and St. Louis streets, and you can see it from Broad Street, 16 blocks away on the other side of downtown. The $89.3 million project includes the new 155,600-square-foot building, to be finished in late 2018, and renovation of the existing John Archibald Campbell U.S. Courthouse to follow.

Mardi Gras Park LFS.jpg

Lawrence Specker | lspecker@al.com

Mardi Gras Park

Mardi Gras Park: How much work does it take to turn a grassy lot into a new downtown park? A lot, with side effects including the occasional geyser in Water Street. But Mobile’s new Mardi Gras Park should live up to its name, given that it’s right on the parade route at the corner of Government and Royal Streets. Matthew Capps of the city’s Parks & Recreation Department said Friday that the park should be open to the public on Oct. 31. (The ambition for future Phase 2 work is to add a pavilion and maybe an enclosed marketplace.) (Lawrence Specker/LSpecker@AL.com)

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Lawrence Specker | lspecker@al.com

Schillinger Road widening

Schillinger Road Expansion: Work has been under way since spring 2014 on a project to widen Schillinger Road from two lanes to five, between Howells Ferry and Moffett Roads, turning a bottleneck into an artery. ALDOT reports that all lanes should be open by the end of October. Meanwhile, work has begun on widening the section north of Moffett to Lott Road. That section should be finished by summer 2018. Shown: A view north toward the Schillinger-Moffett intersection. (Lawrence Specker/LSpecker@AL.com)

Broad Street in Mobile, Ala., on June 1, 2015

Lawrence Specker | lspecker@al.com

Broad Street remodeling

Broad Street transformation:On its third try, Mobile landed a federal Department of Transportation TIGER Grant focusing mainly on Broad Street redevelopment. The feds are sending almost $14.5 million, and the city is matching with $3.3 million, which should pay for a mix of infrastructure and beautification work. "This project will connect citizens from the transportation hub on Water Street to homes in neighborhoods to jobs at Brookley Aeroplex to recreation on the Three Mile Creek Greenway," Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson said. Shown: The intersection of Broad Street and Spring Hill Avenue. (Sharon Steinmann/Press-Register file)